Headlight-dimmer.



H. J. KASTNER.

HEADLIGHT DIM APPLICATION FILED D o, 1914 1,131,933. I Patented Mar. 16, 1915.

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UNITED srA'rEs PATENT orrrc-Ei? EEADLIG HT-DIMMER Application filed December 10, 2914. Serial No. 876,511. g I

I To all 'wlz om it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY JACOB Kgsr link, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlight- Dimmers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as'will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains-to make and use the. same.

My invention relates to improvements in dimmers for automobile headlights and the for partially preventing theprojection of like, and more particularly to those empioy mg a springrotated roller, a scrcen'wound upon said"roller,.und means for unwinding said screen in advance of the light.

The main object of the invention is to so position a -device of this character upon the light, as to cause it to not only act as means rays therefrom, but to also serve .as means for retaining the door of the light in closed I Y position.

I- have in mind a patent issued to E. A. Edwards on July 5, 1904 and bearing No [764,299. This'device shows a spring actuated roller mount-ed on the door or" the light, a screen Wound upon said roller, and means for unwinding said screen in advance of the light. The positioning of parts in this device, however, is not such as to allow the roller and the parts coacting therewith, to act: as a combined screen and device for retaining the door in closed position.-

To the aboveend, the invention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination herein described and claimed and shown in the "drawings wherein Figure l is a side elevation ofa portion of an automobile, showing the application of my. invention to one of the headlights thereof; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of one of the lights equipped with the invention; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section as seen on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal section as seen on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

In these drawings, forming a part of this application, a portion of an automobile A is shown, the latter including the usual chassis G which is equipped with a steering wheel W and with a steering post P upon the upper end of which said wheel is revolublv mounted The machine is also oquippedwith headlights L which comprise Specification or Letters Patent.

substantially cylindrical bodies B in which the usual sources of light and reflectors are located, and doors D which are provided with transparent panels and which are hinged at H to swing laterally, the hinge line standing in an upright planas shown.

Most types of lights are provided with suitable latches for retaining'their doors D in closed position, but it is well known that excessive vibration of the machine often jars these latches to such an extent as to allow the door to swing outwardly, thus often causing the lights to be extinguished, thus necessitating relighting the same. It is also a well known fact, that it becomes very desirous, at times, to provide une means whereby the rays of light p' the headlight, be made dim, thereby preventing the blinding of pedesi :ians by he verse tube 2 issecured, said tube havingalongitudinal slot 3 in its lower side and having one of itsends permanently closed by a cap 4, while :1 removable cap 5 normally closes the opposite end of said tube. The cap 4 is pmvidcd with a central opening through which the stub shaft 6 of a curtain roller 7 projects, said shaft being secured to one end of a coil spring 8 which is located. Within the roller, while the other end of said spring is secured to the roller. By this means, when the sha it 6 is held against rota tion, the spring will be wound as the roller is rotated in one direction. For the purpose of holding the shaft 7 against rotation, I provide an upright cotter pin 9 which projccts through an opening in the outer end of said shaft and through alined openings in upper and lower cars 10 which project laterally outward from the stationary cap 4r. It will likewise be seen that this construction prevents the stub shaft 6 from moving in wardly tosuch an extent as to allow it to be disengaged from the opening in said cap l.

acted from tension has a tendenc 'tric within the tube.

gaged from the tube, after which the entire 1 roller may be pulled endwise from said tube.

Secured at its upper end to the roller 73f is a screen 12 .whichmay be constructed of any suitable material, the central portion of the lower end of said screen being extended downwardly in substantially the form of atab l3. \Vhenthe screen is drawn downwardly by means to be described, this serves tointerrupt the most powerful rays of the light, but the weaker rays are allowed to radiate around the same. Extending downwar'dl in advance of the door I cable 14 which then extends rearwardly through a guide 15 located adjacent the lower side of the light L and continues still farther rearward'ly to the post P, at which oint it is passedthrough a second guide 16, its free end being-equipped with a ring '17 -or other appropriate form of stop, this ring normally contacting with the guide- 16 to prevent excessive forward movement of the cable, but being capable of being pulled upwardly and rearwardly and engaged with a fork 18 likewise carried by said post. By this moving of the stop 17 and the cable 14, they screen 12 will be moved downwardly in advance .of the transparentpanel of the door D to 'theinece'ssary extent for accomplishing the desired results. v

I may'here explain that when the screen is wound to'its limit uponthe-roller 7, the spring 8 is still under tension and that this to straighten the angle in the cable .14 ut since this angle cannot be straightened, the tension of the spring is exerted to retain the .door D in closed position, When this door is opened forthe purpose of lighting the lamp within the casingB, the screen will be unwound, thereby placing the spring 'under greater tension, which tension is exerted to again close the dor.

From the f-oregoing descr ption, taken in from the tab 13 is an operatingconnection with the accompanying draw- I claim 1. The combination with a headlight having a transparent door hinged upon an up-' right axis, of a horizontal roller revolubly "mounted -onthe upper edge of said door, a

screen secured at its upper end to said roller, a spring for rotating the roller in a directicnto wind thescreen thereon, a guide adjacent the lower side of the light, a cable attached to the lower end of the screen, and extending downwardly therefrom in front of the door and then rearwardly through said guide, and means mounted independently of the door for holding therearwa rdly extending portion of said cable against forward movement,'whe reby the tension of the spring acts not only to wind the screen upon the roller, but serves as means for retaining the door in closed position.

2. A device of the class described comprising a tube hai 'ing a longitudinal slot in one side, a cap permanently closing one end of said tube and having a central opening,'a hollow roller within the tube, a spring located within said hollow roller and secured at one end thereto, a stub shaft connected to the other end of said spring and projecting outwardly through the opening lnsaid cap, the outer end of said sha ing an opening, a-pair of ears secured to said cap on opposite sides of the opening therein, said ears having openings alining with the opening in the shaft, a cotter pin passing throu h the alined openings in said ears and shait, a movable cap closing the other end of the tubeand having a central opening, a screw passing through the opening in said removable cap and threaded into 7 the adjacent end of the roller, and a screen wound upon said roller. In testimony whereof nesses.

, HENRY JACOB KASTNER.

Witnesses:

' EDWARD R; MUELLER, r RUSSELL A. KIEFER.

I have hereunto set vmy hand in presence of two subscribing wit-' 

